


Free Comic Book Day

by DarcyDelaney



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Wee!chesters, comic books, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-02-15 03:38:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2214381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarcyDelaney/pseuds/DarcyDelaney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before bounding out the door, Sam spins around and hugs his older brother tightly around the waist.</p>
<p>“You’re best,” he says against Dean’s shirt. Dean looks up at the ceiling and beams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Free Comic Book Day

“Dean!”

Sam runs across the motel room to his older brother, who’s sprawled across the bed the two brothers share, flipping through one of the magazines their dad had grabbed from the lobby.

“Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean, De—”

“Sammy, stop!” Dean looks up at Sam and the guilt almost immediately sets in as he sees his little brother’s face cloud over. He sighs and sits up, shoving the magazine off to the side. “Hey, I’m sorry. What?” he says, taking extra care to make his voice gentle and soft. “What’s up?”

Sam looks at Dean uncertainly for a few seconds, then points to the window. “Lookit outside.”

Dean hauls himself to his feet and yawns as he walks over to the window, Sam following him like an excited puppy. He pulls back the heavy curtain and squints into the midday sunlight, wishing he were sleeping. Sam had had a nightmare last night, and their dad was still gone, so it was up to Dean to calm his little brother down and keep all the monsters at bay for the night.

“Sammy, I don’t—”

“Books!”

Sure enough, Dean can see clusters of people walking down the sidewalk in front of their motel, their arms laden with comic books and small paper bags. His heart jumps excitedly in his chest; the old issue of Spider-Man that Bobby had given him when he was six had nearly crumbled apart in his hands, it was so old, but he loved that thing, and had pitched a fit when his dad threw it away.

 

“It’s trash, Dean. You don’t need it.”  
“No! Bobby gave it to me! It’s not yours!”  
His dad whirls around and grips his eldest son’s jaw tight between his fingers. “Did I stutter, boy?” he says, his voice icy. “Everything you need is right here, not in some damn comic book. Do you understand me?”

 

Dean unconsciously brings his fingers to his jaw at the memory.

“Dad’ll be hom—here soon, Sammy,” he says softly. “I’m sure he’ll take us when he gets back.” He doesn’t believe it the second the words leave his mouth, but hopes that his little brother will.

The look on Sam’s face is one of pure disappointment, and even though he mutters a soft “okay,” Dean’s conscience keeps on chewing at him. It’s just a five-minute walk down the road, and they’d probably be back before Dad even showed up; what could go wrong?

Sam’s just gone back to their shared motel bed in resignation when Dean tosses a rolled-up sock at him.

“Dean!” he whines, glaring at his big brother.

“What’re you doing, stupid? Thought you wanted to go to the comic book store.”

Dean grins at Sam’s wide eyes.

“Lying,” he finally says. “You’re a liar.”

In response, Dean grabs his jacket and the motel key. Sam’s face breaks into the biggest smile Dean’s ever seen on his little brother, and he grabs his jacket, too. Before bounding out the door, Sam spins around and hugs his older brother tightly around the waist.

“You’re best,” he says against Dean’s shirt. Dean looks up at the ceiling and beams.

 

The tiny comic book store is bustling with people, so much so that Dean almost has an anxiety attack triggered by what his dad believes is claustrophobia, something he’ll “have to grow out of sooner rather than later.”  
“Hey, gentlemen!” A middle-aged man with shoulder-length hair and a friendly face smiles and waves at them from the front counter. “Happy Free Comic Book Day! Help yourselves to anything on those tables there.” He points to five card tables all shoved together, comics piled up and spilling off the tables’ edges.

Sam runs over without another thought, and Dean looks suspiciously at the man.

“They’re free,” he says skeptically, hitching the straps of his backpack a little further up on his shoulders.

“Sure are.” The man gives him a thumbs-up.

“My dad says nothing’s free.”

The man laughs. “Your dad’s a smart man, but that’s not the case today. Is that your little brother over there?”

Dean nods.

“You and he can take as many free books as you want today. It’s a special day. Like Christmas, but better.”

Dean looks over at the table and studies Sam. He’s managed to wedge himself in between a large group of other kids, and a few adults and teenagers, as well. Dean can already see the stack of books slowly accumulating under Sam’s tiny arm.  
“Now come on, let’s not let your brother have all the fun.” The man leans on the counter and looks at Dean. “What’s your favorite comic?”

Dean pauses. “Do you have any Spider-Man?” he finally asks, suddenly shy.

The man straightens and smiles fondly. “Do I have any Spider-Man,” he repeats. “He’s my favorite, kid. Follow me.”

The man leads Dean to the free comics table, grabs an issue from it, and then continues toward the back wall. “I give you…Spider-Man.” He gestures toward the bookshelves towering over seven-year-old Dean, who stares at them in awe.

“All of this?”

“All of this.”

“I…” Dean’s voice trails off. He’s never seen so many books in one place, or so many books that he’d actually want to read. He grabs the first issue within reach, plops down on the creaky hardwood floor, and begins to read. He holds the colorful pages close to his nose—Bobby thinks he needs glasses, but Dad will have none of it—and immerses himself in the world of Peter Parker. Twenty minutes later, he’s almost forgotten where he is, that Sammy’s with him, and it’s one of the greatest days he’s had in a while. He hears the counter guy greet someone else as the tiny bell above the door jingles again.

“Afternoon, sir! Welcome to Free Comic Book Day! Anything I can help y—”

“Fine, thanks.”

A few seconds later, Dean feels a rough, calloused hand grip his t-shirt and haul him to his feet. Thinking it’s just some kid trying to get in on his prime Spider-Man space, Dean looks up at them with a glare.

“Hey, back o…Dad?”

“Where’s your brother?”

“I…he…”

John grabs the comics out of Dean’s hands and tosses them to the floor. “Damn it, Dean!” he snaps, grabbing his son’s wrist tightly and dragging him through the store. “I didn’t think staying in the room was a hard thing to understand. I thought I could trust you with that one little thing. I thought you were responsible enough to handle that. But then I get back and the room’s empty; you and your brother are gone—what the hell am I supposed to think?”

“Dad, I, Sammy—”

“Did I say you could talk?”

Dean looks down at his sneakers. “No, sir,” he mumbles.

“And don’t you dare blame this on your brother. Don’t you dare. You’re seven goddamn years old, you should know better.”

John leads Dean to the free comic book table, where Sam has plopped down and begun poring over an issue of Darkwing Duck.

“Come on, Sammy,” he says, scooping up his youngest son without releasing Dean. “We’re leaving.”

“Daddy, no!” Sam wails, trying to reach down and grab the comic off the floor.

“Sorry, Sammy,” John says. “Blame your brother.”

He jerks Dean forward hard as they head for the door, and Dean flinches unconsciously. He hopes that John didn’t notice his brief acknowledgement of pain, but the icy glare his father shoots his way destroys that fantasy.  
“Oh, sir, hold on!”

John stops—just barely—and faces the man from the counter, who smiles apologetically.

“I know you’re, um, in a hurry, but I just noticed that your little boy’s backpack is unzipped, and—”

John’s eyes harden as he stares at his eldest son. “Did you steal something?”

Dean’s green eyes go wide in fear.

“No,” he and the clerk say at the same time.

The clerk smiles softly at Dean and puts his hand on his shoulder. “I just wanted to zip it up before he left. Don’t want him losing anything, you know.”

“Thanks,” John grumbles. The man nods and takes his time zipping Dean’s backpack up. He checks each section carefully before patting Dean on the shoulder.

“You’re good to go, little man.” Dean keeps his eyes trained on the floor and mumbles a quick thank you.

“Have a good day, guys.”

“Yeahyoutoo,” John mutters without stopping for breath.

 

John had gotten a call from Bobby; there’s a case in Wyoming, and a few hours later, Sam and Dean are buckled into the backseat of the Impala and John’s driving, staring straight ahead.

Dean sucks on the juicebox his dad had given him, and pierces the straw of Sammy’s into his box, as well, before handing it to his baby brother.

“Don’t let him spill that.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Dean,” Sam says suddenly, hitting his brother’s elbow.

“Yeah, Sammy?”

“I want my ‘chine.”

Dean pauses, trying to translate the baby Sam-speak before answering. “Oh, the Mystery Machine?”

“Serry ‘Chine.”

Dean grabs his backpack off the floor and unzips the main pocket to try and find it. When he looks inside, though, he freezes.

“What…” He reaches inside and his hand reemerges with three different comics. He drops them onto his lap and keeps digging through. They’re all there; every issue he’d looked through, and even a few extra. Sammy’s are here, too. He thinks back to the man at the comic shop, how he zipped his backpack for him, and his eyes widen in realization of where the comics came from.

“Sam,” he whispers. His little brother looks at him, and Dean presses a finger to his lips. “Secret, okay?”

The youngest Winchester nods and mirrors his brother, bringing his own tiny finger to his lips. Dean hands him the stack of little-kid comics and Sam’s eyes light up. Dean grins widely at him and Sam paws through the comics, delighted. He turns to Dean, moves his finger back to his lips, and then opens an issue. Dean grabs a copy of Spider-Man for himself, and with a small, satisfied smile, copies his brother and starts to read.


End file.
